Scientists made the discovery while observing Titan’s atmosphere using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile’s Atacama desert. “A single 3 minute observation revealed organic molecules that are askew in the atmosphere of Titan,” Universe Today explains. “The molecules in question should be smoothly distributed across the atmosphere, but they are not.”

Universe Today points out that, “When one hears there is a strange, skewed combination of organic compounds somewhere, the first thing to come to mind is life.” So far, researchers don’t have an obvious explanation for the discovery. But they are exploring other possible causes.

The ALMA. (Credit: ESO/C. Pontoni)

“These ALMA observations give us new insights into how organic molecules, the building blocks of life, form and evolve in a planet-like environment,” says astronomer Anthony Remijan of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. “It is exciting to imagine the new discoveries ALMA will enable as we look more deeply at other interesting objects in our Solar System.”

The research on these unexpected variations in Titan’s atmosphere was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Artist’s impression of the E-ELT on Cerro Armazones. (Credit: ESO)

Another powerful tool in the hunt for extraterrestrial life, the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), is currently under construction, and is also in Chile’s Atacama desert. This tool will be the world’s largest optical and infrared telescope when it is completed in 2024, and it will have the ability to directly image exoplanets and study the atmospheres of planets, helping scientists identify worlds that may support life as we know it.

]]>http://www.openminds.tv/odd-distribution-organics-titans-atmosphere-sign-extraterrestrial-life/30722/feed1Syfy documentary to reveal the truth about aliens on the Moonhttp://www.openminds.tv/syfy-documentary-reveal-truth-aliens-on-the-moon/28793
http://www.openminds.tv/syfy-documentary-reveal-truth-aliens-on-the-moon/28793#commentsTue, 08 Jul 2014 16:57:08 +0000http://www.openminds.tv/?p=28793Conspiracy theories about Earth’s moon persist forty-five years after the first human visit to the Moon.

Some believe that the Moon landings never occurred, but instead were staged. Others believe humans have been to the Moon, but were warned to stay away by lunar residents. But, thanks to Syfy, the veracity of the claims about aliens on the Moon may finally be revealed in an upcoming two hour documentary titled Aliens on the Moon: The Truth Exposed.

Image of the moon from the Galileo spacecraft. (Credit: USGS)

Film news website Twitch reports that the producer of this documentary is Robert Kiviat, a producer known for UFO related content. He was a content producer for several episodes of the popular SyFy program Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files. He also produced the television special Alien Autopsy: (Fact or Fiction?).

On July 7, Syfy issued the following press release announcing the show:

ALIENS ON THE MOON: THE TRUTH EXPOSED

A TWO-HOUR SYFY EVENT DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL

LOS ANGELES (July 07, 2014) – Syfy will host the world premiere of ALIENS ON THE MOON: THE TRUTH EXPOSTED, a two-hour event documentary special on Sunday July 20, 2014.

July 20, 2014 marks the 45th anniversary of man’s first landing on the Moon. We’ve all seen the footage and know the “official” story from news reports, the Internet and for younger viewers, from the history books. But what haven’t we been told about Earth’s closest neighbor? What really happened on that historic day? What did our astronauts encounter on the lunar surface? And what don’t our world’s governments want us to know?

In this controversial special we will look at compelling evidence – including never-before aired NASA photos showing gigantic artificial structures – suggesting the Moon is being used as a base, and possibly a staging area, by a mysterious race of alien beings. We will hear from experts, as well as astronauts who have walked on the moon, and we’ll reveal new facts and proof for the first time anywhere. Also, viewers will see dramatic 3-D flybys of the lunar constructions derived from the actual NASA data, and get an exclusive look at footage of a purported “female” E.T. supposedly recovered during a secret U.S.-Soviet mission to the Moon in the 1970s.

Among the many shocking topics covered in the Special will be:

· Photos showing the undeniable existence of what look like installations, factories, saucers, hangers and huge satellite dishes, possibly trained directly on planet Earth. Viewers will learn that many of the extraordinary signs of an alien lunar presence exist hidden from view, on the far side of our Moon.

· A gigantic structure resembling a “Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower” rising from the floor of a perfectly round crater or “dish.” Located nearby, another large structure with a mile-long “pipe” extends out of it on a 45 degree angle and casts an obvious shadow.

· Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s startling interview where he reveals that a UFO followed the spacecraft for three days on its way to the historic moonwalk, and that a baffling “Monolith” has been photographed by NASA on Mars’ moon Phobos. Aldrin also assesses some of the lunar photos that strongly suggest alien structures have been detected on our Moon.

· Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell’s adamant contention that he knows for sure UFOs are real, that there is an alien presence visiting the Earth (and the space around us) and the U.S. government has been aware of it for several decades.

· Unidentified objects (dubbed “X-Drones” by researchers) that appear to be carving long, deep tracks many miles across the lunar terrain.

· Other “towers” that rise many miles up from the lunar surface (higher than anything made on Earth), photo evidence of a massive excavation operation on the Moon and telltale signs the picture may have been altered to hide the truth.

· A riveting Apollo 8 film showing what appears to be a huge “Smokestack” on the Moon – thousands of feet tall – releasing a “jet-like” cloud as the spacecraft passes over it.

· Russian Space Agency lunar orbiter photos of a 20-mile high “spire” clearly sticking straight up from the Moon’s surface, as well as a partially destroyed “dome.”

· Former NASA Photo Manager and “whistleblower” Ken Johnston’s claim that he screened an Apollo 14 film for a NASA astronomer showing five domed lights inside a crater, with one releasing a plume of steam. He says the key sequence was later spliced out! Johnston also reveals that during the Apollo 11 moonwalk, astronaut Neil Armstrong switched over to the medical channel to alert mission doctors, “Alien spaceships are parked around the rim of a crater, watching us!”

· Oil company executive Vito Sacchari’s exclusive TV interview where he tells his dramatic story of how he pressured NASA into letting him study 2000 lunar photos in 1979 which clearly contained massive alien structures on the moon.

· Defense Department expert Dr. John Brandenburg’s warning that all the pictures of “constructions” on the Moon presented in the Special – including a miles-wide rectilinear “Complex,” a “Capsule,” and gigantic “wheels, huts or domes” with a platform above them – are more suggestive that “someone” is building a forward “base” than the photos that triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis. He adds the U.S. military must perceive this as a real threat, so close to us.

· A mysterious film reportedly showing a “female” alien aboard a landed lunar module after allegedly being recovered during a secret U.S.-U.S.S.R. mission to the Moon to examine an enormous fuselage-like structure photographed by Apollo 15.

The Special also features intriguing evidence that there could be a wider alien presence, such as footage of UFOs in our skies and in space, a gigantic “planet-sized disc” pulling plasma from the Sun, a “Lunar Factory” reportedly photographed by a Chinese Satellite in 2011 and images of a possible “Alien Moon Base” that made world headlines earlier this year. Also, a lunar “pyramid” photographed by NASA that’s almost identical to those found in ancient Iraq will be analyzed, as will the possibility the same alien race that might have helped ancient cultures advance could be the ones who erected structures on the Moon and are monitoring mankind for some unknown purpose.

As the press release indicates, Aliens on the Moon: The Truth Exposed will air on Sunday, July 20, 2014. But, according to Syfy’s schedule, this special will air multiple times, so check your listings.

]]>http://www.openminds.tv/syfy-documentary-reveal-truth-aliens-on-the-moon/28793/feed22Subsurface liquid water may have existed on Pluto’s moon Charonhttp://www.openminds.tv/subsurface-liquid-water-may-existed-plutos-moon-charon/28301
http://www.openminds.tv/subsurface-liquid-water-may-existed-plutos-moon-charon/28301#commentsMon, 16 Jun 2014 22:51:29 +0000http://www.openminds.tv/?p=28301Researchers believe Pluto’s moon Charon may have been warm enough at one point in time to sustain an underground ocean of liquid water.

Artist’s concept of Charon seen from Pluto. (Credit: Supportstorm/Wikimedia Commons)

The surface temperature on this icy world is estimated to be nearly three hundred degrees Fahrenheit below zero. But a new NASA-funded study posits that, if the surface of Charon is cracked, the interior of the giant moon may have been warm enough to have maintained a subterranean ocean of liquid water.

As The Weather Network reports, “NASA says that an oval-shaped orbit could have, at one point, generated large tides and friction that may have produced enough heat to support an ocean of liquid water.

Evidence indicates that Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s moon Europa currently have subterranean oceans. Liquid water is of particular interest to astrobiologists searching for extraterrestrial life. NASA explains, “Since liquid water is a necessary ingredient for known forms of life, the oceans of Europa and Enceladus are considered to be places where extraterrestrial life might be found.”

Surface of Enceladus. (Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)

It is unlikely that an ocean still exists inside Charon. But if the moon’s history included liquid water, it is possible that life once called Charon home. NASA will get a better look at this moon in July 2015 when the New Horizons spacecraft arrives in the Pluto system.

Illustration of the New Horizons spacecraft. (Credit: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute)

]]>http://www.openminds.tv/daily-ufo-headlines-111413/24918/feed0Robert Bigelow wants property rights on the Moonhttp://www.openminds.tv/robert-bigelow-wants-property-rights-moon-1204/24903
http://www.openminds.tv/robert-bigelow-wants-property-rights-moon-1204/24903#commentsWed, 13 Nov 2013 19:08:42 +0000http://www.openminds.tv/?p=24903Space pioneer Robert Bigelow believes that private companies, like his own space firm Bigelow Aerospace, should be able to own lunar property.

Bigelow Aerospace and NASA held a press conference in Washington, DC on Tuesday, November 12 to discuss Bigelow Aerospace’s completed and upcoming projects. NASA’s dwindling resources have forced the agency to rely on private space companies, like Bigelow Aerospace, to provide hardware and other resources in order to realize missions. Bigelow Aerospace secured contracts with NASA in 2013 to test an expandable habitat on the International Space Station and to develop plans for a base on the moon.

At the recent press conference in Washington, DC, Bigelow also discussed lunar mining and the need for property rights on the Moon. The question of whether a person or private company can legally own property on the Moon has been a longstanding issue of debate.

Robert Bigelow (left) and guest with a model of the Lunar base. (Credit: Bigelow Aerospace)

The 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, commonly referred to as the Outer Space Treaty, is predominantly the basis for laws governing space. Article II of the Outer Space Treaty states, “Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.” Some strictly interpret this provision to mean that, although governments may not claim property rights, private companies may indeed claim ownership. But Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty provides, “States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities, and for assuring that national activities are carried out in conformity with the provisions set forth in the present Treaty.”

Those who argue that the Outer Space Treaty does not regulate private behavior overlook the importance of Article VI. To this point, in his book The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law, Thomas Gangale, executive director of aerospace think tank Ops-Alaska, cites Lawrence A. Cooper, an attorney specializing in space law: “Some have argued that [Outer Space Treaty]’s broad definitions allow individual appropriation of space and celestial bodies because it only specifically prohibits appropriation by States; however, States are responsible for the actions of individuals, and property claims must occur through the State’s property laws. Therefore individuals may not claim space or celestial bodies.” In essence, all parties in space are bound by the Outer Space Treaty. The treaty binds the governments, and the governments bind their citizens through laws and other means.

Robert Bigelow discussing lunar property rights. (Credit: CNBC)

Critics note that current space law is riddled with ambiguities, an issue that necessitates revisiting the Outer Space Treaty to modify and expand the framework for space law. Robert Bigelow believes “The time has come to get serious about lunar property rights.”

When asked by CNBC if he believes anyone should own the Moon, Bigelow responded, “No. No one anything should own the moon. But, yes, multiple entities, group, individual, yes. They should have opportunity to own the Moon.” Explaining his reasoning for wanting lunar property rights, Bigelow stated, “Ultimately, permanent lunar bases will have to be anchored to permanent commercial facilities . . . Without property rights there will be no justification for investment and the risk to life.”

Bigelow called for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow property rights for lunar mining. But National Geographic reports that, according to the FAA, “The agency only regulates launches and reentries of rockets from orbit, and doesn’t oversee activities of spacecraft.” But Bigelow Aerospace attorney Mike Gold believes that, because of the FAA’s oversight of launches, it is the right place to start asking for permission to mine the Moon.

Read more about the complexities and ambiguities existing in current space law in the April/May 2013 issue of Open Minds magazine.

]]>http://www.openminds.tv/robert-bigelow-wants-property-rights-moon-1204/24903/feed3Alien Power Plant Found on the Moon?http://www.openminds.tv/alien-power-plant-found-on-the-moon/23070
http://www.openminds.tv/alien-power-plant-found-on-the-moon/23070#commentsMon, 29 Jul 2013 22:29:31 +0000http://www.openminds.tv/?p=23070Story via the Canadian

An alien power plant was located in one of the photos of our moon, taken by the Apollo 16 lunar mission, as reported by UFO Sightings Daily. The photo was taken on 21 April, 1972. The report was posted on 21 July, 2013.